Landowners within the greater Exeter area are being invited to put their land forward for development.

The Draft Policies and Site Options Consultation (Regulation 18) version of the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan (GESP) was published last month.

The plan is for the period 2020 – 2040 (20 years) and will, on adoption and targeted for 2023, set out the large scale strategic development within the greater Exeter area.

The Greater Exeter area covers approximately 2,200 square kilometres across the four local authority areas and a population of approximately 450,000.

Mark Chugg, partner of Greenslade Taylor Hunt, said: “This is a great opportunity for landowners to bring their land forward for development – residential, employment and other land uses and make their case for their land during the forthcoming consultation periods for both this version of the plan and for the call for sites.

“This opportunity applies not only to those sites which have been shown as options within the GESP, but also other land through the call for sites, in sustainable locations that are outside of built-up areas/boundaries of settlements.”

The GESP has been prepared by East Devon District Council, Exeter City Council, Mid-Devon District Council and Teignbridge District Council, who are working in conjunction with Devon County Council.

Each local planning authority will continue to prepare their own Local Plans, which will be more localised and allocate smaller scale development. Towns and villages, if they so wish, will continue to prepare their own Neighbourhood Plans which are even more localised.

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The latest version of the GESP sets out a range of options for large scale strategic development, mainly focused on towns and villages with good rail and road connections. Not all of these options will be taken forward in the subsequent versions of the plan or become allocated in the plan when adopted.

Landowners with land in the options set out in the GESP, stakeholders and members of the general public will be able to comment on the consultation document from September 21 - November 16, 2020.

In addition to this, there will also be a further ‘call for sites’ for landowners who have previously put forward their land for development in 2017 to do so again, and also for those who have not done that but would like to do so.

If landowners are interested in taking advantage of the opportunity, they are advised to take specialist advice. They can promote their land, via a planning consultant, themselves or via either a land promoter or housebuilder, having entered into either a Promotion, Hybrid or Option Agreement.

For further information on how to take advantage of the window of opportunity that the GESP presents, contact Mark Chugg MRICS, partner in the development land and planning department at Greenslade Taylor Hunt on 07738 426759 or by email at mark.chugg@gth.net.